Ignition apparatus



Feb. 8, 1938. v. A. LE BLANC IGNITION APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12, 1935 WITNESS Patented Feb. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE IGNITION APPARATUS Victor A. Le Blanc, New Orleans, La., assignor of one-twentieth to William H. Hartson, New

Orleans, La

This invention relates to an ignition apparatus for internal combustion engines, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which eliminates electrical appliances, hot tubes, heaters of any kind and the mechanical injection of low grade fuels and thereby reduces fire hazards to a minimum and eliminates failure of igniting due to carbon, water shortage or unequal pressures in multiple cylinders and provides an ignition which will assure igniting of improperly mixed fuels and permits the use of low grade fuels with an ordinary carbureter or mixing valve.

With these and other objects in View, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction and operation, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Fozl a complete understanding of my invention,

reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view showing an internal combustion engine of the one cylinder four cycle type equipped with an ignition apparatus constructed in accordance 'with one type of my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view showing va cam employed for actuating an ignition valve at predetermined intervals.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral I indicates a conventional type of internal combustion engine wherein the cylinder 2 is shown as mounted on a base 3 and equipped with a head 4 in which is formed an exhaust port or passage 5 controlled by an exhaust valve 6. The exhaust valve 6 is actuated by a valve mechanism i. The valve mechanism I receives its motion by a cam (not shown) mounted on a cam shaft 8 journaled in the base 3 and geared to a crank' shaft 9. A piston I0 reciprocates in the cylinder 2 and is connected to the crank of the crank shaft 9, by a connecting rod II. The intake port for the cylinder 2 is indicated by the character I2.

The type of engine described operates on the four cyclevprinciple and is of the conventional construction and to which my invention is adapted.

A head I3 is suitably mounted to the cylinder '2 and has a fuel passage I4 connected with the intake port I2 of the cylinder 2 and to anv intake manifold I5, the latter being connected to a carburetor or mixing Valve (not shown) and which may be of any conventional construction. An

auxiliary cylinder I6 is suitably mounted to the cylinder 2 and is connected to the head I3 and slidable in said auxiliary cylinder is a piston I'I having a stem I8 carrying a roller I8 which rides upon a cam 20 secured to the cam shaft 8. A valve cage 2| traverses the fuel passage I4 and communicates the latter with the cylinder I6. A valve 22 is associated with the valve cage 2| and controls the communication between the fuel passage I4 and the cylinder I6 and the stem 23 thereof engages with a valve actuating mech- 10 anism 24. The valve actuating mechanism 24 includes a roller 25 which rides on the cam 26 se cured to the cam shaft 8.

The valve cage 2| has ports 21 through which gases pass that are drawn through fuel passage 15 I4 on the intake stroke of piston I 0 thereby cleaning burnt gases from cylinder I6, valve cage 2| and fuel passage I4 from previous combustion,

also cooling all latter parts mentioned on compression stroke of piston I0' when gases are forced into ignition cylinder I6 at charging stroke of piston I'I. Valve stem piston 28 is used to help close ignition valve 22 and as a compression sealing piston. A self seating intake valve 29 is ar-f ranged in the intake manifold I5 and is adapted to permit gases to pass into the fuel passage I4 from the carbureter or mixing valve (not shown) by the suction created by the piston IIII on its suction stroke and seals the' gases in the fuel passage I4 on vcompression stroke of piston I0 30 which makes fuel passage I4 part of combustion chamber at that period of operation. Thus it Will be seen how the cylinder 2 receives its charge of combustible gases from the main combustion chamber. 35

The cam 20 has high faces A and B and low faces C and D. The cam 26 has a high face E and a low face F.

In operation, the piston I0 when on its suction stroke draws gas from. the carbureter or mixing 40 valve (not shown) by way of the fuel passage I4, as the piston I0 completes part of its compression stroke, the gases drawn into the cylinder 2 is compressed and after the piston I0 has traveled approximately sixty percent of its compression 45 stroke, the roller I9 of the piston I1 engages the v low face C of the cam 20 allowing the piston I1 to lower in the auxiliary cylinder I6 which allows the compressed gases toenter the combustion chamber of the auxiliary cylinder I6 through Valve cage ports 21 and valve 22 while said valve is. held open by high face E of cam 26. At about percent of compression stroke of piston l0 the valve 22 is closed by its roller 25 dropping in the low face F of cam 26 at which time the com- 55 -bustion chamberA has a pressure of about 65 pounds. The piston I1 of the auxiliary cylinder II is raised by its roller Il rising to thehigh face B of cam Il which is completed at about 95 percent of compression stroke of piston Il which increases the pressure of gases in cylinder Il to about 500 pounds pressure, which causes spontaneous combustion at which time valve 22 is opened by its roller 25 rising to high face E. of cam It allowing combustion flame of 600 poundsr or more pressure with Fahrenheit temperature of over 1500 degrees to ignite gases in fuel passage II and. cylinder 2 which then has` been fully compressed by piston It reaching the limit aio-sos 1. In combination with an internal combustion engine, a fuel compressing'and firing cylinder l mounted on said engine, a head for said cylinder and having a'fuel passage connected at one end with the engine and connected at the other end with a fuelintake manifold. a cage mounted in said head and communicating with the cylinder and passing through'the fuel e and having 'ports aligning with said passage to permit fuel from one end of said passage to pass to .the other lendl of said passage and to'enter said cylinder, a valve controlling the communication-of the cage with said cylinder and for controlling theports of the cage, a timing mechanism for operating the valve mechanism and of its compression stroke, which starts 1t on its \d11ven by the engine. and n piston driven by the expansion stroke. While the piston I1 is held at the top of its compression stroke for about l0' percent of power or expansion stroke-of piston I0 to allow full force of combustion flame to expel itself in fuel passage I4 then piston I1 with through fuel passage Il which is accomplished at about 85 percent of expansion stroke of. piston I0 by its roller I9 rising to high face A of cam 20 and held in that positionuntil the completion of exhaust stroke, suction stroke and percent of thev cycles of operation.

'Ihe ignition valve 22 is held open for cooling purposes by high face'Eof cam-20 closing only for period of compression stroke of Apiston I1. The cylinders I0 and 2 as well as the head l are suitably water jacketed.

An ignition apparatus of the character described will assure igniting of low grade fuelsas well as improperly mixed fuels-and eliminates electrical ignitions or other forms of ignition employing heaters and the like.

Having described the invention, I claim:

engine and operating inthe cylinder forcompressing and i'lring fuel in said cylinder and thereby ignite fuel in the engine.

2. In combination with 4an Yinternal combustion engine,xa fuel compressing and firing cylinder mounted Aon said engine, a head for said cylinder and having a fuel passage connected at one endwith the engine and connected at'the other end with s.l fuel intake manifold, a. cage mounted in said headl and communicating with the cylinder and passing through the fuel'passage and having ports aligning with saidl passage to permit fuel from one end of said passage N to pass tothe other end of said. passage and to enter said. cylinder, a valve mechanism controlling the communication of the cage with said cylinder and for controlling the ports of the cage, a timing mechanism for operating the valve mechanism and driven by the engine, a piston driven by the .engine and operating in the cylinder for compressing and firing fuel in said cylinder and thereby ignite fuel inthe engine, and

a check valve for said fuel passage and located between thecage and the fuel intake manifold.

- VICTOR A. LE BLANC. 

